The Taipei City Government yesterday accused the Ministry of Education of compromising the autonomy of a city committee, accusing the ministry of inserting its “black hands” into local affairs.
The ministry earlier this month rejected the city government’s plan to administer high-school admissions next year within the school district encompassing Taipei City, New Taipei City and Keelung City.
While the ministry maintained that Taipei’s plan illegally increased the weight of Comprehensive Assessment Program exam scores in the admissions process, Taipei City’s Department of Education had previously refused to consider revising the plan, saying that the specific details in dispute were the prerogative of local governments.
Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung’s education departments have initiated committee meetings to discuss a new proposal.
All proposals must be passed by a committee of school principals, academics, teachers’ union representatives and parents.
Taipei department commissioner Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that school principals had contacted the department after the ministry sought to arrange meetings with them before the committee discussed the new proposal. Principals in New Taipei City and Keelung were also contacted, the department said.
The department said that the ministry’s actions violated the Regulations for Pluralizing Recruitment and Admissions to Senior High Schools (高級中等學校多元入學招生辦法), which says the authority for drafting implementation plans rests with local governments.
Wu Ching-shan (吳清山), director of the ministry’s K-12 Education Administration, said the ministry sought to meet with the committee to share ideas about Taipei’s admissions plan, and that this was within the ministry’s purview.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
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